Something Different
by phantomshadow99
Summary: Jade and Peter are back, as is half the universe. Except Peter's mentor, Tony Stark. Realising his feeling's for his best friend, Peter plans to have a break from Spiderman during his school trip, hoping to spend time with Jade in a way that's more than just friends. But best laid plans go astray, and Peter Parker can vouch for that.
1. Chapter 1

Jade didn't really know what had happened, because one minute her hand was dust, and the next she was back in the kitchen. She shook her head, stumbling back as she tried to work out what had happened.

"Mum?" she called out, noticing a different table and chairs in the kitchen next to her. She looked up as someone screamed. "Who are you?" she asked, looking at the stranger stood in the doorway.

"Ar-Are you Jade White?" the person asked. Jade nodded slowly, glancing behind the stranger's shoulder to see her mum looking around.

"Mum!" she shouted, pushing past the stranger and pulling her into a hug. Sally White held her daughter tightly.

"What happened?" Sally asked, looking to the stranger who was staring at the two open-mouthed.

"5 years ago, half the world's population just, turned to dust. You and your daughter-You're considered dead," he told her, Sally gripping onto Jade tighter at his words. "M-My wife was hit by a car after the person driving turned to dust," he said, tears falling at the memory. Sally smiled sadly, pulling away from her daughter and walking to the man.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Mark. Mark Adamson," he said, holding his hand out. Sally smiled, shaking the outstretched hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mark," she said, pulling her daughter into her side. "Could we stay here for tonight? Until we can organise something?"

"Of course! It was your apartment first. I'll go get some blankets," Mark said, smiling at the two before going down the corridor.

"5 years," Jade whispered, looking up at her mum. "It felt like an hour, not even that." Sally nodded, pulling Jade closer.

"It's alright, sweetheart. We're here now and that's all that matters."

"Oh my god," Jade said, pulling back from her mum. "I was on the phone with Peter."

"You can use the phone," Mark said, coming back into the room and carrying some pillows and blankets.

"Thank you," Jade said, smiling as she ran to the kitchen, punching in Peter and May's number. It rang for a few seconds, before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a young boy asked, and Jade stuttered at the unfamiliar voice.

"He-Hello. Is there a May Parker there? Or Peter?"

"Oh yeah, she just appeared in mummy's room," the boy said, Jade sighing in relief as the boy passed the phone over. "May?"

"Jade, thank god! There's a family living in my apartment! They told me it's been 5 years! They thought I was a mistress!" May said quickly, while Jade tried to came her down.

"May. May!" Jade shouted, stopping the woman mid-sentence. "Is Peter there?"

"No. He was at his internship," May said, quietening her voice so the family didn't hear. May had grown used to the girl helping a bruised Peter out, and she was grateful she knew his secret. Jade nodded, biting her lip.

"We must have re-appeared where he turned to dust. That means he's-" Jade trailed off.

"Jade? Where is he?"

"He's on a different planet."

XXXXXX

A few hours passed, and Jade stared at the phone. She'd rung Anna, and she laughed through tears as she complained how her brother was now nearly the same age as them. Sally and Mark were both sat in the living room, the news blaring out.

"In an amazing turn of events, all those who turned to dust five years ago in what became known as 'The Snap', returned early this afternoon. All those affected in 'The Snap' have stayed the same age, all returning to the same place where they disappeared five years ago," the announcer said, and Sally shared a smile with Mark.

"I'm glad someone as nice as you chose to live here. Anyone else might have thrown us out," Sally said, and Mark grinned.

"I would never throw someone out," Mark answered. Jade smiled knowingly as the two glanced at one another.

"I'm gonna go up to the roof," Jade announced, walking to the door and grabbing her jacket.

"We'll shout of you if Peter rings," Sally promised her daughter, Jade nodding before shutting the door after her. She walked up the familiar stairs, breathing in deeply as she opened the door to the roof.

"Jade," a voice rasped out. She looked up, bringing her hand to her mouth, tears falling over her hand.

"Peter," she whispered, before running into his open arms, the two clinging onto one another as if their lives depended on it. "I was so worried," she said, her voice muffled as she buried her head into his neck. They stood like that for what felt like forever.

"Mr Stark died," Peter mumbled, and Jade tensed, pulling back so she could see Peter's face. She searched his face, seeing the bruises and redness of his eyes. "H-He sacrificed himself to stop Thanos from turning everyone to dust. I-I couldn't do anything," he said, and Jade pulled him closer as he broke down into sobs.

"I'm sure he knew what he was doing. He was protecting you, Peter, and I'll thank him always for that," Jade said, smiling softly as Peter cried into her neck.


	2. Chapter 2

It felt weird. A good weird, but still weird. Everyone who hadn't been affected by the blip was amazed to see friends and loved ones return to them. But Peter and Jade stood close to one another on the subway to school, staring around at how the usually quiet journey seemed to be louder, people actually talking to one another rather than remaining in awkward silence. Anna met them, her brother standing next to her, unrecognisable to Jade.

"Nico," Jade greeted, her mouth shutting as she gazed up at the much taller, much older boy than she remembered. Nico grinned, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank god you're still a year younger," Anna mumbled, smiling in greeting to Peter. Nico chuckled, pulling back and throwing his arm around his sister.

"Still taller though," he teased, before turning to look at Jade. "I missed you," he said seriously, and Jade smiled tightly, nodding. To her, she'd seen Nico only a week before. She had to remind herself it had been five years for him. Peter noticed, and felt for her hand, squeezing it before letting it go. Jade glanced at him, smiling gratefully before they entered school together, Nico catching the three up on what they had missed over the last few years.

Jade, Peter and Anna stopped in the corridors, looking around at the number of students, each greeting lost friends. Jade noticed how Peter's eyes searched the crowds, before he sighed in relief. She nudged Anna, the two following his gaze to see Peter walking to Ned, doing their usual handshake before Peter hugged his friend tightly.

"Ned!" Anna called happily, running to him and hugging him, silently glad that the boy had been affected by the blip and hadn't aged without her.

"Anna. Jade," Ned greeted, pulling Jade into the hug as well. "This is such a Han Solo moment," he said, and Jade laughed, shaking her head at her friend.

XXXXXX

"Are you sure, Peter?" Jade asked nervously for the tenth time. She fidgeted beside him in the back seat of Aunt May's car, pulling the hem of her skirt down and messing with her hair.

"Yes. You look lovely as well," he added, and she shared a small smile with the boy, noticing how good he looked in a suit before Aunt May announced they had arrived. They hesitated, waiting for Peter to get out first. He sat taking deep breaths as Jade took hold of his hand.

"We can get through this," she told him softly, and he nodded, his jaw clenching before he opened the car door, Jade and May sharing a glance with one another before they got out of the car.

Jade noticed how quiet it was at the Stark residence. She wondered if it had always been this quiet, or if it had grown silent since the passing of Tony Stark. Jade hadn't met the man, but she had met one of Tony's best friends once he learnt she knew Peter's secret.

"Hey Happy," Peter greeted, smiling sadly at Tony's oldest friend. "Are we late?"

"You're right on time, kid, don't worry. Nice to see you again Mrs Parker, Jade," he greeted, before walking them over to the front of the house. Jade glanced out at the lake, glancing around at the others who were gathered for the small funeral for Tony.

"It feels odd being here when I never even met Mr Stark," she said to Happy, the man pausing in front of her.

"He knew a great deal about you, Jade. He knew how important you were to Peter, especially after when Peter turned down to become an Avenger," Happy told her, patting her shoulder before entering the house. Jade blushed, smiling softly before turning to stand beside Peter.

"You ok?" she asked him quietly, as the front door opened. Peter sighed, his eyes already becoming red. Jade slipped her hand in his tightly, Peter squeezing back after moment as they followed Pepper Stark and her daughter Morgan to the edge of the dock. Peter, Jade and Aunt May were stood just behind Steve Rogers, close to where Pepper was crouched beside Morgan, watching the flowers holding the present Pepper had once given to her husband float away in the lake. Jade felt silent tears fall for the hero and man who had helped return herself and so many others, giving his life to protect half of the universe.

The assembled friends of Tony moved to the house, smiling sadly as they recalled tales of Tony over a drink. Jade kept glancing at a beautifully pale woman stood close to Clint Barton and Thor, and she wondered why she chose to wear white to a funeral.

"I'm going outside for bit of air," she told Peter, and he hesitated before nodding, letting her hand go and watching as she walked out onto the porch. Jade sighed, wrapping her arms around herself as she stepped closer to the lake.

"How did you know Tony?" a voice asked, and Jade turned in surprise to see the woman she had kept glancing at. "Forgive me for startling you," she added, smiling softly before coming to stand beside Jade.

"I didn't know him, my friend Peter-" she trailed off, knowing how important Tony was to her friend. The woman nodded, looking out to the lake.

"I met him many years ago, when Thor and I travelled here looking for someone we cared about. Tony became a true comrade and friend. I visited him often," the woman said, glancing down at the younger girl. "My name is Alvilda," she introduced, holding her hand out. Jade smiled, offering her own hand.

"Jade," she said, the two shaking hands before glancing out to the lake.

"May I offer you advice, Jade?" Alvilda spoke after a moment. Jade glanced at the woman and nodded. "Life is harshly short, for humans, elves and Asgardians. Pain and sadness are threatening tides, pulling us out to sea. It is hardly worth living, if not for love. Without it, we are soulless creatures, doomed to be bitter and lonely for eternity. I have lost a husband, a lover, and my family in my life," Alvilda said sadly, her gaze far off before she turned to Jade. "I see you have love in your life. Fight for it, and do not lose it," she said, and Jade shook her head.

"Peter and I are just friends," Jade told her, her heart tightening at her own words. Alvilda smiled, glancing out to the lake.

"I once denied my feelings as you do, Jade. But one cannot lie to their own heart forever," she told her, and Jade studied the woman.

"What happened to the person you and Thor came to find?" Jade asked, and Alvilda looked down.

"Many things. Some terrible, some wonderful. It's a long story," Alvilda said, and Jade hesitated before placing her hand on her shoulder.

"I should be honoured to hear it," she said, the two sharing a small smile before Alvilda began her story.

XXXXXX

They returned to the Parker's later that night, who had to move after the blip, luckily finding an apartment on the floor above Jade's. Sally had given her permission for Jade to stay over, speaking to May and the two agreeing that Peter would need a friend after the funeral. It was quiet between the three for the evening before they went to bed. An airbed had been made for Jade, while Peter stayed in his bed, the door slightly open as per May's request.

Peter had been quiet since the funeral, hardly uttering a word to either May or Jade. They had scuffled to bed, Jade laying awake, listening to Peter's steady breathing before her eyes slowly shut. It felt like they had been closed for seconds before Peter called out in his sleep. Jade didn't hesitate to go to his side, crouching beside Peter's bed as he squirmed in bed, beads of sweat rolling down his face as his fingers clutched at his sheets.

"Peter," Jade whispered, but he didn't open his eyes. "Peter!" she whispered more urgently, placing her hand on his shoulder. In a moment he had jumped out of bed, pushing her against the door, his hand around her neck. "Peter," she croaked out, watching as the sleep left Peter's eyes and was replaced by one of fear.

"Jade?" he asked, before his hand quickly fell from her neck and pulled her into a hug. "God, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise-I would never-," he muttered out, hiding his face in her hair as her breathing evened out and she held him closely.

"It's fine Peter, I'm fine, look," she told him, pushing him away so he could look at her. She smiled softly before Peter's eyes filled with tears and he stumbled back to his bed, hiding his face in his hands. Jade walked over to him, sitting down next to him and grabbing his arm. "Peter talk to me, please," she whispered.

Peter shook his head, his body starting to shake with quiet sobs. Jade paused before wrapping her arm around his shoulder, her head falling to his shoulder as she waited for his tears to slow and he hesitantly lifted his head.

"I can't stop dreaming about it," he confided, and she watched him as he stared at the floor. "I see myself on Titan, then at Avenger's headquarters. There's just death everywhere, and I'm in so much pain. Even my super-healing ability can't keep up with the amount of pain in my body. All I know is that I have to survive. But not everyone does. Mr Stark doesn't, and then I see-"

"What?" she asks quietly, and he squeezes his eyes shut as her grip on him tightens.

"I see you turn to dust in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to save you. Aunt May and Ned turned to dust beside you. All I could do was scream your names and watch," he whispered, tears falling from his eyes once more.

Jade gazed at him for a long time, rubbing circles on his back and moving her head closer to his neck. "It will take time, Peter, but these dreams will go away. What you saw and did was scary as hell, but you fought for May, Ned, me and the whole universe. You will always be our hero, Spidey, and you will always be Peter Parker. Mr Stark knew what he was sacrificing to save."

"Will you stay with me?" Peter asked, looking to the girl for the first time since he'd pinned her to the door. Jade smiled, hugging his side before pulling him to lay down. He got under the covers, lifting them so she could lay beside him.

"Of course," she whispered, and Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, Jade wrapping her arm around his stomach and resting her head on his chest. "For as long as you need."

"Tell me something until I fall asleep," he whispered, pulling her closer and she smiled.

"Want to hear about this white elf I met at the funeral?"


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all! Sorry for the late update, I'm home for a few days catching up with the family before I have to work for a solid two weeks over Christmas! Think this will be the last update of this year, so please hang on until January for an update! Have an amazing Christmas and New Year everyone! x

Guest – thanks for commenting! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!

SrChangeling1 – thanks for commenting, and continuing reading! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Djone246 – thank you so much for commenting! Jade and Peter are fast becoming my favourite couple I've written!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

Jade stands next to her open locker, watching the video tribute for Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff and Vision, shaking her head at the terrible graphics as Whitney Houston plays in the background of the school halls.

"Gone, but not forgotten," Betty says seriously.

"Thanks to Kenneth Lim and Vihaam Ramamurthy for their help with that touching video tribute," Jason adds.

"This year has been nothing short of-"

"Shit is crazy. It's, like, insane," Jason says, interrupting Betty.

"Jason."

"What?"

"No swearing."

"It's the last day of school. We're good," Jason said, before Betty turned back to the camera.

"Historic. Over five years ago, half of all life in the universe, including our own Midtown High was wiped from existence. But then, eight months ago, a band of brave heroes brought us back. They called it 'the Blip'. Those of us who Blipped away came back the same age. But our classmates that didn't blip had grown five years older," Betty said, a picture of an older Brad Davis shown on the screen.

"Yeah, like my little brother is now older than me," Jason complained, and Jade smiled as she thought of Nico.

"Yeah, it's math. And even though we had Blipped away halfway through the school year and had already taken midterms, the school made us start the whole year over from the beginning," Betty said, rolling her eyes.

"It's totally unfair. It's not right."

"Tigers, it's been a long, dramatic, somewhat confusing road. As we draw this year to a close, it's time to move on to a new phase in our lives," Betty said.

"Pray nothing crazy happens again because are the avengers even a thing anymore? Does anyone even have a plan?" Jason asks, stressing to the camera as Betty tried to calm him down. Jade shook her head, collecting her books.

"I have a plan," Peter announced, sitting beside Ned in the study hall. "Okay, first, I'm gonna sit next to Jade on the flight. Second, I'm gonna buy a dual headphone adapter and watch movies with her the whole time."

"Okay," Ned said, following the plan so far.

"Three, when we go to Venice, Venice is super famous for making stuff out of glass right?" Peter asked.

"True," Ned agreed.

"So I'm gonna buy her a Ren flower because well it was," Peter trailed off.

"Her dad was called Ren," Ned answered.

"Right. Four, when we go to Paris, I'm gonna take her to the top of the Eiffel tower, give her the necklace," Peter said.

"Oh," Ned said, impressed.

"Then, five, I'm gonna tell her how I feel. And then, six, hopefully she tells me she feels the same way," Peter finished, a little sheepish.

"Oh, don't forget step seven," Ned reminded. Peter clicked his pen, pulling a piece of paper out that was titled 'The Plan'.

"Step seven?" Peter asked.

"Don't do any of that," Ned said, and Peter looked unamused at his friend.

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Because we're gonna be bachelors in Europe, Peter!"

"Ned," Peter muttered, shaking his head.

"Look, I may not know much but I do know this: Europeans love Americans," Ned stated, and Peter frowned at his friend's logic.

"Really?"

"And more than half of them are women," Ned pointed out.

"Okay. Sure. But, I really like Jade, man, okay? She's awesome, she's super sweet. Sometimes she smiles at me and that makes me feel like I've stood up way too- she's coming. Just don't say anything," Peter whispered, the two looking up as Jade approaches the table, holding her books in front of her and smiling at the boys.

"Hey, what's up? Excited about the science trip?" Jade asked.

"Hey, er, yeah. We're just talking about the trip," Peter stuttered.

"Yeah, and Peter's plan," Ned said, and Jade looked curiously at the boy in question.

"You have a plan?" Jade asked.

"I don't, I don't have a plan," Peter said, glancing at her and Ned.

"He's, he's just gonna collect tiny spoons when we're travelling to other countries," Ned answered, winking at Peter as Jade nodded slowly.

"I think my grandmother did that on a trip once," she teased, smiling as Peter stumbled over his words.

"I'm not collecting tiny spoons. He's collecting tiny spoons," Peter argued, pointing at Ned.

"Oh, okay, well that was exciting. I've got to go meet Anna. I'll see you tonight?" Jade asked, and Peter looked at her in confusion.

"Why?" Peter asked, panicking.

"May is hosting the fundraiser tonight? My mum and Mark are going? I'm going too?" Jade said slowly, and Peter nodded in realisation.

"Oh yeah of course. I'll see you tonight," he said, the two sharing a smile before Jade left.

"Dude, I think that went really great," Ned said, smiling as Peter shook his head, groaning.

XXXXXX

Jade sat beside her mother, smiling as May spoke to the people who had gathered to address the homeless charity for those affected by the Blip.

"When I blipped back to my apartment the family that was living there was very confused. The wife thought that I was a mistress. The grandma thought that I was a ghost. It was- it was really a mess. Thank you all for coming out to support those who have been displaced by the blip. And of course, thanks to our very own Spiderman!" May shouted, everyone clapping and cheering as she moved back and indicated for Peter to speak. Jade hid her laugh as Peter awkwardly stepped to the microphone.

"Thank you, Miss Parker, for having me. And thank you-you guys for having me," Peter said, holding his thumbs up as people clapped at his short speech.

"Thank you Spiderman. He'll be right back out to take photos and videos. Thank you!" May announced, going behind the curtain followed by Peter.

"What are you smiling at?" Sally asked her daughter.

"Nothing," Jade answered, smiling as her mum studied her for a moment before Mark wrapped an arm around her chair, pulling her attention away from her daughter.

It had not come as a surprise to Jade when her mum had announced that her and Mark had started dating. After agreeing to remain in the same apartment to avoid hassle, Jade had noticed the looks her mum and Mark shared, and she couldn't have been happier for them both.

"I'm surprised Peter isn't here. He's a fan of Spiderman isn't he?" Mark asked Jade.

"May made him stay at home. He's terrible at packing so she wanted him to get it done tonight," Jade said, the lie coming out easily. Their attention was drawn back to the stage when said superhero emerged once more, instantly being cornered by paparazzi. Jade moved her head to try and see Peter as she could hear his panicked answers at them asking him about the Avengers and Tony. Jade stood up when he jumped up, climbing on the ceiling and escaping through a window.

"Jade?" Sally asked.

"I just remembered, I promised I'd help Anna out. She doesn't know what to wear for the airport tomorrow," Jade said, kissing her on the cheek and waving bye to Mark before she ran outside. "Spidey!" she shouted into the street, turning and gasping as Peter swings towards her, lifting her up and taking them to a roof nearby. "You really need to give a warning when you do that," she told him, smoothing her hair back as she hangs her feet over the ledge.

"Sorry. I just had to get out," Peter says, his mask receding as he hangs his head before glancing at her. He sees Jade looking at something past his shoulder, and he turns to see a graffiti mural of Iron Man.

"Hey," she whispers, placing her hand on his shoulder. "This vacation will be a good break."

"Yeah. It will be good to spend time together without me worrying about being Spiderman," Peter says, and Jade nods, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"I just want you to relax while we're away, Peter."

"I will. That's why there will be no Spiderman-slinging around Europe," Peter says, making Jade smile.

"You promise?"

"I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

Peter looked out the window, grinning as he looked around before turning to Ned, the two evidently excited for their vacation. The only thing that spoilt it was the fact that Flash was joining them.

"Yo, Parker. This is called an aeroplane. It's like the buses you're used to, except it flies over the poor neighbourhoods instead of driving through them," Flash shouts from his place in first class, holding a glass of champagne in his hand. Jade, Anna and Brad paused beside Peter and Ned's seats.

"Ma'am," Jade calls, and an air hostess appears. "He Blipped, so technically he's 16, not 21."

"I'll take that," the air hostess said, taking the glass from Flash and moving to dispose of it.

"She's lying. I don't even know this girl," Flash said, trying to convince the air hostess.

"Ouch, Flash. We've known each other since we were little," Jade replies, smiling as Flash glares at her before following the air hostess. Jade turns to Peter, smiling as he nods in thanks as she walks to her seat, Anna close behind.

"Classic Jade, right?" Brad says to the two, before following after Jade.

"Did you know Brad was coming?" Peter asked, the two watching Brad help Jade lift a bag up.

"It's so weird. Like, one day, he's that little kid who cried and got nosebleeds all the time, and suddenly we Blip back, and he's totally ripped and super nice and all these girls are after him," Ned answers.

"Not all the girls are after him," Peter stutters.

"No, man, they're all after him," Ned says, Jade laughing at something Brad says before she takes her seat next to Anna, Brad sitting in front of her. "Anyway, on to more important things. It's a nine hour flight. We can play Beast Slayers the whole time," Ned added, getting his laptop out.

"I need your help to sit next to Jade," Peter asks, after watching Jade.

"Seriously?" Ned groans.

"Yes, seriously."

"What about our plan? American bachelors in Europe," Ned reminded, and Peter shook his head.

"That's your plan. That's a solo plan. Come on, this is my plan. Please," Peter asked, and Ned sighed.

"So what is going on with you and Brad?" Anna whispered to Jade, glancing in front of them to see Brad listening to music. Jade frowned, glancing around.

"What are you on about? There's nothing going on," Jade answered quietly, and Anna smirked knowingly at her friend. "What?"

"Don't worry, I'm still a Jater fan myself. What would you and Brad be? Brade? Jrad?" Anna whispered, and Jade nudged her arm as they began to laugh.

"She has a point. The Jater fans are real," MJ said, not looking up from her book next to Anna as the two girls continued to laugh.

"Uh, hey guys," Ned said, waving nervously as he approached the two girls who looked at him. "Uh, there's an old lady sitting in front of us wearing a crazy amount of perfume and it's king of setting off Peter's allergies. Um, you know, Anna, if you could just switch seats with him that would be-"

"He's allergic to perfume?" Anna asked dryly, as Jade frowned in confusion. She knew Peter didn't have any allergies, so what was going on?

"Yeah, yeah, because it um, it makes his eyes water, and he can't really-" Ned answered, as Mr Harrington's head appeared in front of them.

"Peter has a perfume allergy? I'll tell you from experience perfume allergies are no joke. I can feel hives breaking out already. Jade stand up. Ned, take Jade's spot. Jade, you take my spot. Peter, come with me let's get you out of there," Mr Harrington instructed, and Jade gathered her stuff, shrugging her shoulders as she looked at Anna.

"Sorry," Jade said to Brad as she squeezed past him to the seat next to him.

"Zach, Sebastian, you take Ned and Peter's seats. Ned, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Your safety is my responsibility. And Mr Dell's, but he's- I got it for now. Let's go, Peter! Let's go. Yeah, I have a small bladder, so I took the aisle," Mr Harrington said, and Peter huffed as he was made to sit beside the teacher.

"So, did you wanna play Beast Slayer?" Ned asked as he glanced at Anna. She looked at him for a moment.

"I love Beast Slayer," Anna said, causing the two to share a smile.

"Awesome," Ned breathed, opening his laptop and the two beginning to play.

Meanwhile, Peter stared in front of him, thinking he should have just agreed to play Beast Slayers with Ned. "Did I tell you how my wife pretended to Blip out? Turns out, she ran off with a guy in her hiking group. We had a fake funeral for her. Well, the funeral was real because I thought she was really dead. Do you wanna see the video?" Mr Harrington asked.

Jade and Brad smiled at each other, and Brad glanced down at his hand. "Oh, I got a dual headphone adapter if you wanna watch a movie?" Brad asked.

"Only if it's a comedy. Or action," Jade answered, and Brad nodded, the two smiling as Brad nodded.

"Oh, you have a dual headphone adapter. We can watch together," Mr Harrington noticed. Peter held the adaptor up, leaning his head back and sighing as he thought of his plan already going wrong.

Jade realised she was having a good time with Brad, but she couldn't help but feel a little guilty for Peter sitting next to Mr Harrington. But she'd make sure she spent time him in Venice, she thought, as she laughed beside Brad, their heads leaning close to one another as they watched the film.

Thankfully, Mr Harrington had fallen asleep after showing Peter the video of his wife's fake funeral that wasn't fake but was. He jumped over the sleeping teacher, heading for the toilet and glancing back at Jade who was too engrossed in the film with Brad to notice him walk by.

"Hey, pause it 'till I get back?" Jade asked a moment later, Brad nodding and standing up so she could get past and go to toilet. She isn't waiting long before the door opens, and Peter begins to walk out but shuts it quickly when he notices her.

"Peter?" Jade asks, concerned.

"Just a second!" he shouts, quickly wiping everything down so it was clean for her. Jade waits a few moments before sighing, walking back to her seat as Brad gets up to go to toilet.

Peter is fixing his hair and manages to remember the gum in his pocket, smiling as he looks in the mirror before walking out, his smile instantly falling as he notices Brad waiting outside instead, grinning as he moves past the stunned boy.

XXXXXX

"I have the most exciting news!" Anna shouts as she rushes to Jade's side as they wait to go through customs. Jade and Brad look at the girl, shocked to find her smiling so much.

"Are you okay?" Jade asked, and Anna nodded quickly.

"Me and Ned are dating!" Anna tells them, and Jade opens her mouth in shock.

"What?" Jade asks, Brad going next through customs, leaving the two girls alone.

"We really got talking on the flight, and you know I've had a sort of crush on him since last year, and he just asked me out," Anna said, and Jade could see that her friend was genuinely happy.

"That's amazing," Jade said, hugging her friend and smiling. Anna nods, her smile falling slightly as they glance through customs, Brad waving as they see him waiting for Jade on the other side.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on with Brad?" Anna asked, and Jade hesitated, noticing Peter glance at her as he walked towards Ned.

"You just worry about Ned, I'll worry about my own love life," Jade told her, the two smiling as Jade moved through customs.

"Hey man, did you see Brad and Jade on the plane? They were watching movies and laughing the entire time," Peter said, standing beside Ned.

"Dude, don't worry, okay? I'm sure that's nothing," Ned replied, and the two looked over when Anna appeared.

"Hey babe. Can you hold this for me please?" she asked, and Peter looked at his friend in surprise.

"Yeah, of course," Ned said, holding her bag for a minute.

"Thanks," Anna said, kissing him on the cheek. Peter watches the two gaze at one another for a moment before Anna walks off, Peter's eyes following her before he turns to Ned.

"What was that?" Peter asked.

"Uh, well, I realised that I really like Anna, so I asked her out and she said yeah," Ned explained as if it was obvious.

"Whatever happened to being an American bachelor in Europe?" Peter reminded.

"Peter, those were the words of a boy. And that boy realised he was sitting next to a woman. A very strong and beautiful woman. And now, that boy's a man," Ned said, and Peter frowned in confusion at what he sounded like.

"Ned?" Anna called, and Ned grinned.

"Coming, babe," Ned said, sending a glance to Peter as he followed after Anna.


	5. Chapter 5

Jade sat on the side of the taxi boat as they enter the canals of Venice, everyone taking photos of the beautiful city. She smiles as she glances around, noticing Anna and Ned sat next to one another, holding hands happily. Jade feels eyes on her, and she glances back to see Peter looking away when she looks at him, and she hides her smile as she looks back at the city. They pass through the narrow canals until they stop at a run-down building with scaffolding outside.

"Looks like we're here. They're doing some renovations to the place. Getting some upgrades. That must be the concierge. Okay," Mr Harrington announced, stepping off the boat. Jade hesitated before moving off the boat, beginning to slip until someone grabbed her waist.

"Thanks!" she breathed, looking up at Peter who held her. He blushed as he realised how close they were, moving back from her.

"N-No problem," he stuttered, and she smiled at his awkwardness before the two followed the rest of the group inside.

"Everyone, here we are," Mr Harrington said, opening the door so everyone could see how bare it was inside, and the fact it had a stream-like-puddle running along the floor.

"Whoa. Wow. Come on in," Mr Dell said, the students remaining by the door.

"This place is sinking," Flash complained.

"I think you mean charming," Mr Harrington corrected, remaining his positive self.

"Okay, everybody, drop your bags off. We're gonna meet at the da Vinci museum at 3. Let's go!" Mr Dell shouts, clapping his hands to get the students to move hesitantly to their rooms.

"Vamanos!" Mr Harrington shouted, and Jade glanced at him.

"It's 'Andiamo,'" Jade corrected.

"Andiamo," Mr Harrington repeated.

"When in Rome, you do as the romans do. When you're in Venice your socks get wet," Mr Dell told them all, and Jade shook her head with a smile as she moved to her and Anna's room.

XXXXXX

Jade grinned as she looked around Piazza San Marco, walking in-between Peter and Brad. She laughed as Peter avoided a group of birds, Peter smiling when he heard the noise.

"Alright, go explore, but remember to meet at the museum at 3!" Mr Harrington announced, Mr Dell running off to a coffee shop as the group began trickling off in different directions.

"Hey, we should see if we can get some of the birds to sit on your arm! It'll make an awesome photo!" Brad said, taking Jade by the hand as she lost Peter in the crowd. She smiled as they patiently waited until Jade had several birds on her, laughing as one perched on her shoulder as if it was posing, and Brad took photos. She tried to look for Peter, but couldn't see him anywhere.

Peter had been watching her though. He sighed as he saw her having fun with Brad, before getting his phone out and walking until he came to the right shop.

"Buongiorno," Peter greeted the owner.

"Buongiorno," the owner replies.

"Hi, uh, I'm looking for a, uh-" Peter trails off, before holding a picture up. The owner nods, smiling as he roots around before holding up red Ren flower to the light, passing it to Peter. "It's perfect," he says, smiling before he pays the man and wanders out the shop, holding the bag happily.

"Boh!" Jade calls, appearing around a corner and startling Peter.

"What?" Peter asks, quickly hiding the bag behind his back.

"Boh. It's the most perfect word in the world. Italians created it, I am now using it," Jade answers, the two walking close to the Rialto Bridge.

"What does it mean?" Peter asked.

"That's the thing, it can mean a million things. I don't know, get out of my face, I don't know and get out of my face. It's the best thing Italy created, except for espresso," Jade said.

"Oh, so you've been drinking espresso?" Peter asked, remembering the last time Jade drank too much of the drink.

"Hey. German? American. A rose for you," an Italian seller offered, stopping them from walking.

"Boh," Jade said, and the man gave her a look before walking off.

"Whoa."

"I know right. It's like my own superpower," Jade teases, nudging his shoulder as the two smirk. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, uh, boh," Peter replies, and Jade looks impressed.

"Nice. Come on, I've hardly seen you all day," Jade says, continuing to walk as Peter grins before following her. They walk to water's edge, Jade kneeling down when noticing dozens of crabs crawling on the side of a boot moor.

"Whoa, cool," Jade mutters, taking pictures and glancing at Peter to smile, who shares her smile before seeing something happen with a nearby drain. He takes a step towards it before seeing something happen in the water, a huge tide of it shooting into the air and taking the appearance of some monster. Jade stands up in surprise as people begin to scream and run away as the water floods the streets.

"Jade!" Peter shouts, pulling her closer to him and away from the side. They watch in shock as Ned and Anna speed towards them on a gondola, the boat stopping on the path next to them.

"Anna! You okay?" Jade asks, helping her friend out of the boat while Peter helps Ned.

"Yeah," Anna shouts, gripping onto her arm tightly. "Guys, we gotta go!"

"What is that?" Ned asks Peter, the two watching as the monster causes more havoc in the city.

"I don't know," Peter answers, his eyes glued on the creature.

"What are you gonna do?" Ned asks.

"I left my suit at the hotel room," Peter answers.

"Why?" Ned asks, panicking.

"Because I'm on vacation, Ned! Everyone's gonna see my face. Get them out of here," Peter instructs him, pushing him towards the girls.

"Go!" Ned shouts, pushing Anna around the corner. Jade hesitates and grabs Peter's arm.

"Peter! Be careful!" she says, hugging him quickly before following after Ned and Anna, glancing back to see Peter watching her run until she was safe.


	6. Chapter 6

Jade and MJ sat on the stairs in the hotel, watching the news with the other students as Peter was on the phone to May while Ned searched his computer for what the world was saying about the attack.

"It's aliens it has to be," Ned mutters. Anna smiles softly at his worry, placing her hand on his shoulder and reading what the words on his screen.

"Buzzfeed says there's a sailor, named Morris Bench, who was exposed to an experimental underwater generator and got hydro powers," Flash says, walking to stand near Brad as he checked his phone.

"Yeah you should always believe what you read on the internet," MJ said dryly.

"Spiderman could take him," Flash said, shooting a smile to them.

"What do you think it is?" Mr Harrington asked in concern.

"You know being a man of science, witches," Mr Dell answered, turning back to the television as Mr Harrington just stared at him.

Peter stood further away from the group, leaning his arm against the wall as he spoke to May. "So how's the plan going?" May asked, after interrogating him about the attack. Peter glanced over his shoulder, turning back when Brad met his stare.

"There's been setbacks, for sure," Peter muttered.

"Don't overthink it, trust your instincts, you'll be fine," May said, smiling at her nephew down the phone.

"I know. Love you. Bye," Peter said, sighing before walking to stand beside the stairs where Jade and MJ sat.

"Who is that guy?" Anna asked, watching the news to see this new superhero.

"He's like Iron Man and Thor rolled into one," Brad said, grinning.

"He's all right. He's no Spiderman," Flash said, and Jade glanced as MJ raised her hand.

"What is it with you and Spiderman?" she asked, lowering when Flash shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, he did wreck your car at homecoming," Jade reminded, her eyes glancing to the side to see Peter blushing.

"Well, apart from that, he's just awesome, okay? He protects the neighbourhood and, you know, he's inspiring. He inspires me to be a better man. What's up dickwad? Thought you drowned," Flash said to Peter, who frowned at him.

"Sounds like his name's Mysterio," Brad told the group, and Jade shook her head.

"They don't actually know who he is, they're just calling him a 'man of mystery'," she said, and Peter smiled at her knowledge.

"Mysterio," Ned said, testing it out.

"Cool name," Ned and Anna said at the same time, looking at each other and smiling. "Babe."

"That's all the sappiness I can take for one night," MJ muttered, standing up and going up to their room. Jade waited a moment before she glanced at Peter.

"So were you hurt?" Jade asked quietly.

"No, no don't worry," he answered, smiling slightly as she nodded. "So Paris tomorrow. Go to the Eiffel tower. Should be great," Peter said a little awkwardly, waiting to see what she would say.

"Yeah, my mum and dad met there. I can't wait to go," Jade said, the two sharing a smile before they quickly looked away.

XXXXXX

"What are you gonna do about the water monster?" Ned asked Peter, as they walked into their rooms.

"Nothing. It's dead. And besides, that Mysterio guys all over it. Look, I just wanna spend some time with Jade. We were talking about Paris, and I think she really likes me," Peter said, smiling softly as he began to brush his teeth.

"That's nice. Reminds me of when I asked Anna out. We were-" Ned began, but stopped as he fell on his bed. Peter turned around, toothbrush still in his mouth as he stared at the dart in Ned's neck.

"You're a very difficult person to contact, Spiderman," Nick Fury said, sitting at the small table in the corner of the room in the shadows. Peter glanced at him in shock, removing his toothbrush from his mouth.

"You're Nick Fury. And you just shot Ned," Peter said, pointing at his passed out friend with his toothbrush.

"It's just a mild tranquiliser. He'll be alright. So good to finally meet you. I saw you at the funeral, but I didn't think that was a good time to exchange numbers," Fury said.

"No, that would've been really inappropriate," Peter said, smiling nervously.

"That's what I just said."

"Right," Peter chuckled worriedly.

"The important thing is, you're here. I tried to bring you here. You avoided me, and now you're here. What a coincidence," Fury said, and Peter frowned.

"Wait. Was this a coincidence?" Peter asked, thinking of the vacation.

"I used to know everything. Then I come back five years later, and now I know nothing. No intel, no team. And a high school kid is dodging my calls. Here's what I do know: a week ago, a village in Mexico was wiped out by a cyclone. Witnesses say that cyclone had a face," Ned tells, pausing as the two looked over when Ned began snoring loudly. "Three days later, a similar event in morocco. A village was-"

"Just making the round. See if anyone needs any emotional counselling after today's traumatic events," Mr Harrington said, not knowing Nick Fury was pointing a gun at him.

"No, we'll be okay. We're fine. Thank you," Peter answered, glancing between the teacher and spy.

"Great because I'm not qualified actually- oh he's passed out. I'm not qualified to do it anyway, so good night," Mr Harrington whispered, noticing Ned asleep and backing out the room, shutting the door behind him.

"That was my teacher. Sorry about that. You were saying?" Peter asked, looking back at Fury.

"A village was destroyed by what may well be another world-threatening-"

"Babe, you still awake? You're not answering any of my texts," Anna asked, knocking on the door.

"Um, he's asleep, Anna," Peter said, glancing at Fury lifting his gun again.

"Oh, okay. Night," Anna said, and they hear her walk away.

"That's why it's imperative-"

"Hey, boys. So that canal water today was filled with dangerous bacteria…" Mr Dell said, Fury shaking his head and looking to Peter.

"Another person touches that door; you and I are going to attend another funeral. Suit up," Fury instructed, standing up.

In a matter of moments, Peter was in his suit, in a boat heading to somewhere Fury refused to tell Peter.

"Stark left these for you," Fury said after a long moment of silence between the two, handing him a glasses case.

"Really?" Peter asked, taking the case from him and hesitating before opening them.

"'Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown'. Stark said you wouldn't get that because it's not a Star Wars reference," Fury said, and Peter smiled slightly. They arrived at their destination, entering the underground tunnels. "You can lose the mask. Everyone here has seen you without it. You'd only be feigning anonymity and breathing through spandex for no good reason. Come on," Fury said, Peter pausing as he looked around before following after him.

"Yeah," Peter muttered.

"Over there, we have Maria Hill. That is Dmitiri. And this is Mr Beck," Fury introduced, and Peter paused as he saw the hero who fought the monster.

"Mysterio?" Peter asked, confused.

"What?" Mr Beck asks, turning to greet him.

"Doesn't matter. It's what my friends have been calling you," Peter explained, smiling nervously.

"Well, you can call me Quentin. You handled yourself well out there today. I saw what you did with the tower. We could use someone like you on my world," Quentin said, shaking his hand.

"Thanks. I'm sorry. Your world?" Peter repeated, frowning.

"Mr Beck is from earth. Just not yours," Fury said, walking past Peter to stand next to Hill.

"There are multiple realities Peter. This is earth dimension 616. I'm from earth 833," Quentin explained.

"I'm sorry, you're saying there's a multiverse? 'Cause I thought that was just theoretical. I mean, that completely changes how we understand the initial singularity. We're talking about an eternal inflation system. How does that even work with all the quantum-? It's insane," Peter gushed, until he looked to see Fury and Hill's faces. "S-sorry. It's really cool."

"Don't ever apologise for being the smartest one in the room," Quentin said, sharing a smile with the boy.

"Anyway," Maria said, clicking a button and a hologram of four creatures appearing in front of them.

"They were born in stable orbits within black holes. Creatures formed from the primary elements: air, water, fire, earth. The science division had a technical name. We just called them elementals," Quentin explained.

"Versions of them exist across our mythologies," Maria commented.

"Turns out, the myths are real," Quentin said.

"Like Thor. Thor was a myth, now I study him in my physics class," Peter agreed.

"These myths are threats," Fury said, walking around the table.

"They first materialised on my Earth many years ago. We mobilised and fought them, but with each battle, they grew, got stronger. I was part of the last battalion left trying to stop them. All we did was delay the inevitable," Quentin said, his voice falling quiet as the image showed the world beginning to be overrun.

"The elementals are here now, attacking the same coordinates. Our satellites confirm it," Maria informed.

"So thank Mr Beck for destroying the other three. There's only one left, fire," Fury said from his seat.

"The strongest of them all. The one that destroyed my Earth. It's the one that took my family," Quentin said, and Peter saw how he twirled a wedding ring on his finger.

"I'm sorry," Peter said quietly.

"And it will be in Prague in approximately 48 hours," Maria stated.

"We have one mission: kill it. And you're coming with us," Fury told Peter. Peter paused, glancing between Fury and Hill.

"I'm sorry, did you say Prague? Mr fury, this all seems like bigtime, you know, huge superhero kind of stuff. And, I mean, I'm just a friendly neighbourhood Spiderman, sir," Peter explained.

"Bitch please, you've been to space," Fury argued.

"I know but that was an accident. Sir, come on, there's gotta be someone else you can use. What about Thor?" Peter asked, moving to stand in front of Fury.

"Off world."

"Okay, um, Doctor Strange?"

"Unavailable," Maria answered.

"Captain Marvel?" Peter asked.

"Don't invoke her name," Fury warned.

"Sir, look, I really wanna help, I do. But if my aunt finds out I left my class trip, she'll kill me. And if I'm seen in Europe after the Washington monument, my whole class will figure out who I am and then- then the whole world will figure out who I am, then I'm done," Peter said.

"Okay. I understand," Fury said after a moment.

"I'm sorry, what?" Peter asked, surprised.

"Why don't you get back before your teachers miss you and become suspicious. Dimitri. Take him back to the hotel, please," Fury instructed.

"Thank you, Mr Fury. And, uh, good luck," Peter said.

"See you, kid," Quentin said, Peter stopping in front of him.

"Yeah, see you. Bye ma'am," Peter called, Maria not turning her back as she answered.

"Yeah."


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey, man, are you sure you're good?" Peter asked Ned as they left the hotel the next morning, Anna going through her bag to get him some tablets.

"Oh, dude, I'm fine," Ned reassured.

"Okay," Peter nodded.

"Don't worry. Seriously, getting tranq'd in the neck by Nick Fury, probably the coolest thing to ever happen to me," Ned said, making Peter smile.

"It is pretty awesome. I'm just happy I don't have to go to Prague," Peter said, initiating their handshake as he glanced at Jade.

"Seriously," Ned muttered in agreement.

"Good news. We're going to Prague," Mr Harrington announced, cutting through the end of their handshake.

"What?" Peter asked, his mouth dropping.

"Yeah. Tour company called. They upgraded us. You should've heard me on the phone with them. I really gave them hell," Mr Harrington said.

"All I heard was crying," Mr Dell uttered, avoiding the glare Mr Harrington sent him. The group walked around the corner into a small square, seeing a modern black mini-bus.

"Look at our upgraded ride," Mr Harrington said, smiling as the students except Ned and Peter oohed in awe.

"I'm impressed Mr Harrington," Mr Dell complimented, for once saying something positive on the trip.

"Oh, come on," Peter groaned.

"Peter, what-? What's going on?" Ned asked, the two pausing as Peter noticed Dmitri from last night was their driver.

"I think Nick Fury just hijacked our summer vacation," Peter answered, his voice fed-up.

"Awesome," Ned said, grinning as he moved to get on the bus.

"Yeah. Awesome," Peter agreed sarcastically, rolling his head back before getting on the bus. Peter sat at the back, a few seats between himself, Ned and Anna when Jade approached them.

"This seat taken?" she asked, and Peter smiled, his cheeks reddening before he shook his head.

"Yes. I mean no! I-You can sit there," Peter stuttered out, letting out a nervous chuckle as Jade sat beside him, smiling.

The two talked for awhile as they began their journey Austria, heading to Prague. Jade took photos of the two and the Alps, until she pulled a book out on French history. Peter smiled, taking this opportunity to google romantic places in Prague, until his eyes fell on the glasses case. He locked his phone, putting it in his pocket before reaching down and taking the case out of his bag. Jade lowered her book when she noticed his action, watching as he hesitated before putting the glasses on.

"They suit you," Jade said, the boy smiling at her as he looked around before seeing the note.

"'For the next Tony Stark, I trust you'," Peter whispered, and Jade smiled, looking back at her book as Peter paused for a moment. "'Say EDITH'".

"Stand by for retinal and biometric scan. Retinal and biometric scan accepted," EDITH said, and Peter looked up in shock as the glasses lit up.

"Hello?" Peter asks. Jade looks at him in confusion, before he points to the glasses and she nods.

"Hello, Peter. I am EDITH, Tony Stark's augmented-reality security and defence system," EDITH introduced herself.

"So he made you for me?"

"No. But you have access to all of Tony's protocols," EDITH states.

"Cool."

"Would you like to see what I can do? EDITH stands for, 'Even dead, I'm the hero'. Tony loved his acronyms," EDITH said, and Peter chuckles at the irony.

"Yeah, he did," Peter agreed.

"I have access to the entire stark global security network, including multiple defence satellites, as well as back doors to all major telecommunication networks," EDITH tells him, and he notices he can see everyone's messages. He glances at Ned and Anna, frowning when he realises what they are doing.

"What?" Jade asks, glancing up from her book and looking next to them at Ned and Anna.

"They're texting each other," Peter answered.

"Aww, that's so cute," Jade cooed, making Peter smile and shake his head. The bus pulls over a short while later in a small village, and everyone gets off the bus.

"Petrol and toilets. Ten minutes!" Dmitri shouts.

"Ten minutes everyone," Mr Harrington repeats. Jade notices the small shop and runs in to get some water, as Peter is stopped by Dmitri. The silent man points in the other direction, to a blonde in a doorway. He approaches slowly, walking into the room nervously.

"Hello," Peter mumbles.

"Close the door," the woman instructs.

"Um, I'm Peter Parker," Peter says, shutting the door and moving to her holding his hand out for her to shake.

"Take off your clothes," she replies.

"Excuse me?" Peter asks, pulling the strap of his bag closer to him in protection.

"You told Fury Spiderman cannot be seen in Europe. So I made you this, another suit," she explains, holding out a black suit.

"Oh, uh, thank you. I'm sure it fits fine. I don't need to try-"

"Take off your clothes," she repeats, louder this time.

"Okay. Sure. It's a little embarrassing," Peter mumbles, taking his backpack off and unzipping his pants.

"Now. Hurry up," she demands, impatient.

"This is weird," he mutters. He pulls his trousers down, jumping in shock when the door bangs open. "No, no, no. don't-!" Peter shouts, stopping the woman from pulling her gun out as Brad appears in the doorway.

"Sorry. I thought this was the bathroom," Brad apologises, shocked.

"This is not what it looks like. Just-"

"Yeah," Brad says, unconvinced as he takes a photo of the half-naked Peter and strange blonde woman.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked, his eyes widening.

"I'll leave you two alone," Brad says, hurrying out the door.

"Oh, my god. Don't shoot anybody," he says, the woman taking her gun out the moment Brad's back is turned. Peter pulls his jeans back up, grabbing his bag and the black suit and rushing after him. "Brad? It's not what it look like, buddy. Hey, man, look, that's…"

"Look, Peter, I'm not here to judge your life choices, dude. If you want to hook up with some random European chick on our school trip that's on you," Brad told him, the two pausing outside.

"That's not what that was," Peter tried to explain.

"I can't pretend I didn't see what I just saw. I know you're trying to get with Jade. It's obvious. But I like her too," Brad said, beginning to walk off as Peter's face falls.

"Wait a minute. You cannot show her that photo, dude, come on," he begged, and Brad shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, man. I have to. She deserves the truth," Brad says, just as the others come out to return to the bus.

Jade glances at Peter, frowning in confusion as he doesn't sit next to her but sits at the front, nervously wearing the glasses. She shakes her head, reading her book.

"EDITH?" Peter asks, sitting back.

"Hello Peter. How can I help you?" EDITH asks.

"Hey. There's this guy in my class who's gonna ruin everything-" Peter says, whispering quietly.

"Peter, I'm having difficulty hearing you. Can you please speak up?" she asks, interrupting him.

"Um, Brad Davis. He has a photo of me," Peter stated.

"Brad Davis. Is he a target?"

"Is Brad a target? Um…" Peter trails off, glancing behind him to see Brad looking at the photo he took of Peter and the blonde, glancing at Jade. Peter glances at her as well, before sitting back quickly. "Yeah. He's a target. He's a target."

"Copy that. Target is Brad Davis. Initiating strike," EDITH announced.

"Initiating what now?" Peter asked, his face falling.

"Intercept point determined. Releasing kill vehicle," EDITH said.

"EDITH. Oh my god," Peter gasps, taking off the glasses and noticing a drone flying towards the back of the bus.

"Dope glasses, Parker. How'd you pay for these?" Flash asked, taking the glasses from Peter's hand and trying them on.

"Flash give them back," Peter says, reaching for them.

"I'm really paying you a compliment," Flash answers.

"Please give me-" Peter trails off, staring in surprise as he accidently hits Flash, his super-strength knocking him out. "I'm so sorry. EDITH don't kill Brad," Peter instructs, putting the glasses back on.

"Peter, do you want me to cancel the drone strike on Brad Davis?"

"Did you just punch Flash?" Zoha asks, distracting the boy.

"No," Peter says quickly, his face dropping as he realises what he's said.

"Firing," EDITH announces. Peter quickly shoots a web at the steering wheel, pulling it so the bus avoids the drone's attack. "Commencing second strike."

"Peter. Plant your fanny and buckle up right now," Mr Harrington instructs, him and the students swaying from the action.

"Look at the baby mountain goats!" Peter shouts, pointing to the hillside.

"Baby mountain goats?" Mr Harrington asks excitedly, turning to look out the window along with everyone else. Peter takes this distraction to jump up, opening the latch and firing webs at the drone, stopping it from firing and resulting in it destroying itself. Peter jumps back down into the bus just as everyone turns back to the front. "I don't see any mountain goats."

"You missed them," Peter pants, his hair dishevelled by the wind.

"I know you think none of us have noticed, Peter," Anna began, and Ned and Peter shared a worried glance.

"What?" Peter asked.

"But your new look, I love it. Right, babe?" Anna said, turning to Ned.

"Thanks," Peter sighed out, collapsing into his seat.

"Yeah. Sophisticated, classy, very European," Ned said, agreeing.

"Oh, man. Let's try that again," Peter muttered.

"Uh, this is so weird. It was right here on my phone," Brad scrolls through his phone as he sits next to Jade, confused.

"Yeah, very weird," she says, glancing from Brad to see Peter leaning over and watching them, sitting back when he notices her looking at him.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi all! Thanks for the comments, please don't forget to add some more, I love reading them!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

The bus pulls up to a huge hotel in Prague, and Jade and Anna share a grin as porters open the door for them, leading them into a large foyer with someone playing a grand piano as large crystal chandeliers hung above them.

"Wow, this place is so classy," Anna whispered, her hand snug in Ned's as Jade walked beside the two.

"It is insane. How did we get such an upgrade?" Jade asked, glancing at Ned who looked around and shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? The squeaky wheel gets the upgrade grease. Everyone get settled in, rest up because tonight, big surprise, is Prague's annual carnival of lights," Mr Harrington announced, pointing to a board. Jade stood opposite Peter, the two glancing at one another smiling until Peter moved away to take a phone call, and Jade's smile falls as she sees him glance at her before Ned walks over to him.

"Hey, man," Ned calls.

"Hey," Peter says, finishing his phone call with Hill.

"Look, I am so sorry if I seem like I'm preoccupied with my relationship. You know, I'm still your guy in the chair," Ned apologises, but Peter pats him on the arm, glancing at Jade who is watching the two.

"No, it's all good. Don't worry about it," Peter told him, smiling lightly.

"Okay. Great, great," Ned said, smiling. "So, what's the status on the elemental thing? Where's it gonna happen?"

"Uh, here in the city," Peter said hesitantly.

"Peter, we're here," Ned panicked, glancing at Anna.

"I know, I know. It's not good. I'm figuring it out," Peter promised.

"You have to do something, Peter, please. We're all counting on you," Ned said, and Peter noticed how serious and worried he was.

"Ned," Anna calls, waving him over as Mr Harrington begins giving out room keys.

"Yeah, babe," Ned shouted, glancing at Peter and nodding before heading over. Peter watched him and the others, his eyes resting on Jade who was watching him just as intently.

He had to protect them, whatever the cost.

XXXXXX

Peter sits on top of a rooftop, moping after being shouted at by Fury just because he wanted to protect his friends. He looks up when he hears a noise, seeing Mysterio hovering in front of him.

"Fury asked me to come up here and see how you were doing. He just-he felt bad about snapping at you," Beck said, and Peter was taken aback.

"Really?"

"You guys do have sarcasm on this earth, right? How you feeling?" Beck asked, smiling under his mask at managing to make the boy smile slightly at his joking.

"Uh, I didn't think I was gonna have to save the world this summer. I know that makes me sound like such a jerk. I just-I had this plan with this girl that I really like and now it's all ruined," Peter explained. Beck paused before he moved to sit next to him, his helmet retracting into his suit.

"You're not a jerk for wanting a normal life, kid. It's a hard path. You see things. You do things. You make choices. People look up to you, and even if you win a battle, sometimes they die. I like you, Peter. You're a good kid. There's a part of me that wants me to tell you, just turn around, run away from all this. Then there's another part of me that know what were about to fight, what's at stake, and I'm glad you're here," Beck said, and Peter smiled, nodding.

"Me too," Peter smiled.

"But you're worried about your friends," Beck commented.

"Yeah. I just always feel like I'm putting them in danger," Peter said quietly.

"Look, just get them inside and keep them in a safe place for just a few hours. They'll be alright," Beck suggested, and Peter smiled, glancing at him.

"It's really nice to have somebody to talk to about superhero stuff, you know?" Peter said, and Beck smiled.

"Anytime. And, hey, we survive this, you'll have all summer to kill Brad," Beck pointed out, earning another smile from Peter.

"See you out there," Peter said after a moment.

"All right," Beck said, watching as Peter jumped from the rooftop and landed safely.

XXXXXX

"Good news. We're going to the opera!" Mr Harrington announced, and everyone grumbled in their seats in the foyer, dressed to go to the carnival.

"You're kidding me. The opera?" Anna asked, rolling her eyes.

"Don't look at me," Mr Dell said.

"What happened to the carnival?" Jade asked.

"This is upgrade living, guys. Come on. The tour company just gave us these tickets. For free! Do you have any idea how much opera tickets cost?" Mr Harrington asked excitedly. Jade missed the way Ned glanced at Peter who nodded his head and indicated for him to go along with it.

"No, because none of us have ever wanted to go to the opera, ever," Flash answered.

"Uh, I think this is gonna be culturally enriching for us," Ned commented, and everyone stared at him.

"Thank you, Ned. Everyone, this is gonna be, maybe, the best four hours of our whole trip," Mr Harrington, another groan sounding from the group.

"Four hours?"

"Guys, I think this is gonna be really fun. Seriously," Ned said, faking a smile as Peter sighed in relief.

"Go get changed and be back down here in 10 minutes!" Mr Harrington told everyone, and Jade huffed before standing, following the others upstairs.

Her room was enormous and very gold. She moved past the sofa and cabinets until she reached her wardrobe, pulling out a mid-length dark green dress and some flats, choosing to untie her hair and let it hang loosely before meeting the others downstairs.

They walked in the opposite direction to the carnival, everyone except Peter and Jade admiring the costumes people were wearing, instead walking next to one another in silence, often glancing at one another.

"I bet now you're all happy I had you pack a nice outfit," Mr Harrington called to the group, leading the way to the opera house.

"Yeah, because we'd much rather go to a four-hour opera instead of the biggest party in the world," Flash said sarcastically.

"Again, don't look at me," Mr Dell said, holding his hands up.

"Okay, here we are. Beat the rush," Mr Harrington said, the whole opera house empty except for a few old couples.

"Yeah, the rush out," Mr Dell said.

"Lucky for us, we got the best seats in the house," Mr Harrington said, leading the group to the front row. Jade paused, admiring the old building while Brad hesitated next to her.

"Hey. I'll save you a seat," Brad promised, grinning at the girl who smiled softly, hesitating as she nodded. She watched as he walked off, and felt Peter's presence next to her.

"You look really pretty," Peter said, the two glancing at one another.

"And therefore I have value?" Jade asked, glancing at him straight-faced.

"No. No, that's not what I meant at all. I was just-" Peter stuttered, trying to make words form.

"Hey. I'm teasing you. Thank you," Jade said, smiling nervously. Nervously? Why was she so nervous around Peter?

"You're welcome," Peter said, the two smiling.

"You look handsome," Jade complimented.

"Thank you."

"Oh, my gosh. Opera glasses!" Anna said, grabbing the two's attention.

"So cute!" Ned said, grabbing a pair for the two.

"Want to go in on a pair?" Jade asked, and Peter smiled nervously.

"You mean, sit next to each other?" Peter asked.

"Yeah of course," Jade said, her smile making his heart beat quicker, but he was distracted by Fury speaking in his ear.

"No," Peter answered to Fury.

"Oh, okay. No, you don't want to sit next to me, or no you just don't want the glasses?" Jade asked, confused.

"I didn't mean that. If you go ahead, I'll go grab us a pair," Peter said, and Jade nodded.

"I'll save you a seat next to me," Jade said, the two sharing a smile before she walked off.

"Awesome," Peter said, watching her leave. Jade sat down, leaving a space between herself and Brad. It was a moment later when Ned and Anna joined her, Ned handing her a pair of opera glasses.

"Peter said he wasn't feeling well," he said, and Jade held the glasses, placing them on her lap. She tensed as she felt Brad move to sit next to her as the lights dimmed and the opera began. Jade feels a gaze behind her, and she turns just in time to see Peter rushing outside. She doesn't hesitate to pick her coat up and stand up.

"Jade, are you going to the carnival? Can we come?" Anna asked, beginning to stand up before Jade stopped her.

"Anna, stay here. I'm just going to check on Peter. He shouldn't be by himself if he's sick," Jade said, glancing at Ned who nodded gratefully. Anna nods, glancing in worry before Jade rushes outside, heading to the carnival and searching for Peter.

It's so busy that all she can hear is the music and fireworks, her eyes darting upwards at the buildings in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Peter. She moves towards a fountain in the centre of the small square, frowning as she sees it smoking. Taking a step closer towards it, she gasps as the ground beneath her cracks, lava and fire creeping upwards until it engulfs the fountain, becoming one of the elementals. She runs away from it, finding safety in a nearby doorway down a street. Mysterio appears, before a black-clad figure throws something at it, before shooting a web at a fire hydrant to try and stop it. Hey eyes widened as she watched the figure get thrown around, and she takes a step back as something shoots towards her. Taking a closer look, she looks back up at the figure, knowing for sure it's Peter. She grabs the webbed object and places it in her bag, going back to watch the fight. Mysterio gathers energy up, before flying into the monster, killing it. Jade sighs in relief, seeing Peter safe before she hurries back to the hotel, her mind spinning.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter stares at his lemonade as he sits beside Beck, the two celebrating their win. But he didn't feel like celebrating.

"Hey. You gotta celebrate. We did something good tonight," Beck told him, patting his back.

"Yeah. Fury was right. Tony did a lot for me, so I owe it to him, to everybody," Peter said.

"Do you?" Beck asked.

"Yeah. I mean. Mr Stark gave me the chance to be more. He wanted me to be better than him. and Fury just wants me to live up to that," Peter states, half believing it as he plays with his glass.

"What do you want, Peter?" Beck asked.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, glancing at him.

"What do you want?" Beck repeated.

"I don't know," Peter mumbled.

"What do you want? You Peter Parker. Now. I know you're thinking about it," Beck insisted.

"I wanna go on my trip, right? I want to go back on my trip with my friends. And go to the top of the Eiffel tower with the girl who I really like and tell her how I feel and give her a kiss," Peter said, and Beck smiled in surprise.

"Whoa," Beck laughed.

"Shut up, man," Peter said, smiling as he chuckled.

"You're not gonna do that, are you?" Beck asked.

"No, I can't," Peter muttered.

"Why not?"

"Because I have too much of a responsibility," Peter said, the two glancing as a woman picked up the glasses and handed them to him, speaking in Czech. "Oh my god. Thank you so much."

"What are those? Are those the-?"

"EDITH glasses, yeah," Peter answered, holding the glasses.

"They were just on the floor? Try them on. Let's see how they look on you," Beck said.

"Yeah?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," Beck said, and Peter put the glasses on and faced Beck, waiting.

"I actually really like them," Peter admitted.

"Can I be completely honest with you?" Beck asked.

"Please."

"They look really stupid," Beck told him.

"Oh."

"But maybe they have a contact-lens version," Beck suggested.

"You try them on," Peter said, taking them off and holding them out for him.

"No, come on," Beck said, shaking his head.

"Try them on," Peter said, smiling.

"I don't wanna try them on," Beck said, holding his hands up.

"Just put them on," Peter insisted. Beck hesitated before giving in, taking the glasses and putting them on.

"What do you think, kid?" Beck asked.

"'Next Tony Stark, I trust you. For the next Tony Stark, I trust you'," Peter muttered, glancing at the table.

"What?" Beck asked.

"Mr Stark left me a message with those glasses: 'for the next Tony Stark, I trust you'," Peter explained.

"I'm still not following. How many lemonades have you had?" Beck asked, joking.

"He knew every mistake I ever made, okay? So he must've known I wasn't ready for something like this," Peter told him.

"Why would he give it to you?" Beck asked.

"Because maybe he didn't trust me to have EDITH, he just trusted me to pick who should. It makes so much more sense. He always knew I'd do what's right and he's not gonna give them to Nick Fury because fury would just give himself EDITH," Peter pointed out, and Beck nodded.

"You're probably right about that," Beck muttered in agreement.

"Right, so the world needs the next iron man. And it's not me. I'm a 16 year old kid from Queens. It needs to be an adult with some experience and that's good like Tony Stark, like you," Peter said.

"No. Peter, come on. No," Beck said, handing him the glasses back.

"EDITH?" Peter asked, putting the glasses on.

"Hello Peter," EDITH greeted.

"Hi. Yeah, um I'd like to transfer your control over to Quentin Beck," Peter instructed.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Beck asked.

"Doing the right thing," Peter said, glancing at him.

"Any transfer will require confirmation," EDITH said.

"Stark gave you the glasses," Beck told him.

"Stark gave me a choice. It's my choice to make. I'm gonna make it. Look, you're a soldier, a leader. You stopped the elementals. You saved my life. You saved the world, okay? He'd want you to have them," Peter said, silencing him.

"Waiting for confirmation," EDITH said.

"Confirm. Welcome to the Avengers. They look good on you," Peter complimented, handing the glasses to Beck who put them on.

"Thank you. It's an honour," Beck said, shaking Peter's hand.

"Yeah. Mr Stark would've really liked you," Peter said.

"Where you headed?" Beck asked, watching Peter stand up and grab his bag.

"I'm gonna go find Jade," Peter answered, smiling semi-confidently.

"Good luck, kid. I'll give you about a fifty-fifty chance. You're pretty awkward," Beck said, smiling when he laughed.

"Yeah. See you later man," Peter said, walking to the door.

"See you," Beck called, Peter glancing through the window of the pub before walking back to the hotel, feeling like he could finally enjoy his vacation and spend time with Jade.

He jogs up the bumping into Ned when he reached the top. "Peter, oh my god," Ned gasped, hugging him tightly.

"Hey," Peter smiled at his friend, hugging him back tightly as he chose not to question his bathrobe.

"I saw the news, you could have died," Ned said, still hugging him.

"Its fine. I'm fine. Hey, guess what, I'm done with the mission," Peter said, pulling away from the hug.

"Dude, the trip's over," Ned told him.

"What?" Peter asks, his eyes widening at the news.

"There's monsters coming out of the ground everywhere we go, of course our parents want us home," Ned pointed out.

"Please don't put me on hold. Peter, you're not dead! Oh, my god. Yes, good," Mr Harrington says happily, pulling Peter's head close in a weird hug. "Stay here. Put some clothes on. We're booking flights," he told them, walking off while on the phone.

"We came for science, we're leaving because of witches. Welcome to the new dark ages," Mr Dell said, before hurrying to his room.

"What is going on dude?" Peter asked.

"We're going home in the morning," Ned explained.

"No, no. All the elementals are gone," Peter whispered.

"Ned," Anna called, her head appearing from her room as the boys glanced at her.

"Coming sweetie," Ned said, sending a glance to Peter before hurrying to her room.

"Hey, can you guys keep it down? I'm live-streaming," Flash asked, opening his door before shutting it again quickly.

Jade opened her door, having listening to the muffled voices outside for the past few minutes. "Hey."

"Hey," Peter says, smiling as he turns to her.

"Where were you?" Jade asked, and Peter pauses.

"Um, I got lost," Peter answers.

"Right. We were worried about you," Jade told him.

"Oh."

"Good thing you're back," Jade said, her lips pulling at one corner into a small smile.

"Yeah."

"So much for Paris, right?" Jade asked, sighing as she leant against her doorframe.

"It would've been fun," Peter said, the two sharing a look before Jade nods.

"Yeah. Night," Jade says, moving to walk back inside her room.

"Night. You look ni-" Peter stops as the door shuts. He pauses, closing his eyes tightly as he takes a deep breath and moves to her door, about to knock on it when Jade opens it suddenly.

"Oh. Hey," Jade says, her cheeks reddening. She had been stood leant against her door, her heart and mind telling her to tell Peter how she felt before she opened it again.

"Uh, look, um. I'm not ready for this trip to be over yet, and I kind of want to do something fun that's not on the itinerary or planned or with Mr Harrington," Peter said.

"Yes," Jade answers the silent question.

"Yes, like you wanna go?" Peter asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, awesome. I'll see you outside in 10 minutes," Peter said.

"Meet me outside in five minutes," Jade tells him, smiling as Peter laughs nervously, nodding his head as he smiles.

"Five is good. Okay, bye," Peter says, jumping slightly in joy after he hears her door shut. He hurries to his room, changing into something a little more casual before going downstairs to wait for Jade, who arrives bang on time. "Hey," Peter greets, moving from his place against the wall as she steps out of the lift.

"Hey," Jade replies.

"So where do you wanna go?" Peter asks.

"The Charles bridge?" Jade asked, and Peter nods.

"Awesome. Let's go," Peter says, Jade nodding as she smiles, the two walking out. "I'm glad we're doing this," Peter says, the two reaching the bridge and slowing their place, their hands brushing against one another every so often.

"Yeah, me too," Jade agrees.

"To see the city a bit," Peter adds, a little nervous still.

"Did you know that during the Thirty Years War, the heaviest fighting took place on this bridge against the Swedes?" Jade asked randomly, her cheeks blushing as Peter glanced at her. "Sorry."

"You really love history," Peter said, smiling.

"Well history is important to understand our future," Jade says, mocking a wise tone and making Peter laugh. Their hands get even closer, and Peter clears his throat.

"Uh. There's this think I've been wanting to talk to you about for a while," Peter told her. Jade stops in front of him.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"It's our last night in Europe, and I had this plan that I wanted to tell you. I'm just gonna tell you. Jade, I'm-" Peter began, removing the necklace box from his pocket and holding it.

"The night monkey," Jade finished, and Peter's eyes widened in shock and confusion.

"What?"

"That's what you were gonna say," Jade says.

"No. What would make you think that I was the night monkey?" Peter asks, and Jade shakes her head.

"Peter, you've been acting weird this whole trip. You snuck off from the opera and fought that fire thing in the plaza, I saw you," Jade told him.

"No it wasn't me, the night monkey is like European rip-off of Spiderman. It said it on the news," Peter told her.

"Night monkey. Okay," Jade mutters, removing her bag from her shoulder and opening it.

"What are you doing?" Peter asks quietly.

"Well do the night monkey and Spiderman use the same webs?" Jade asks, taking out the object she'd picked up and holding it out so he could see the webs on it.

"I mean, maybe," Peter mumbles, looking down.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me, Peter. I thought you just wanted to have a normal vacation. Why wouldn't you just be honest with me?" Jade asks, and Peter begins to speak but he stops when lights flicker from the object and Jade drops it, a strange creature hovering above them before the object's lights go out, the creature disappearing.

"What the hell was that?" Peter asks, looking around.

"I don't know," Jade gasps, looking into the air where the creature was moments ago. They step closer together as Peter picks it up, studying it. "Is it some kind of projector or something?"

"Yeah, but it's really advanced," Peter said.

"It looked so real," Jade mutters, and Peter looks up.

"Yeah, really real," he mumbles.

"Wait a minute, does that mean that-?"

"The elementals are fake? That doesn't make any sense because we were there, right? There was fire and destruction. Who would do something like that?" Peter asks, looking at Jade who nods. They jump as the projector lights up again, the creature appearing and being fought by Mysterio until it goes off again.

"Mysterio?" Jade whispers. Peter's eyes widen in realisation before he turns back to Jade.

"I am the night monkey. Nick Fury kind of stole our vacation and gave me a mission. And I've really messed up," Peter tells her.

"Wait, you're serious? Nick Fury?" Jade asks.

"Jade," Peter says, watching as she begins rambling.

"I mean I know we kind of saw him at the funeral, but this is huge. When did it start? Why didn't you say any-?"

"Jade look I know you want to know about it, but we have to get back to the hotel, okay?" Peter asks, and she nods.

"Okay. I can't believe you kept this from me," Jade says, hitting his arm as they begin to run back to the hotel.

"Hey!"

"Oh please, that would have hurt me more than it hurt you," Jade told him, the two hurrying back to the hotel and not stopping until they reach Peter's room.

"I can't believe I gave Beck those glasses. How could I be that stupid? He's probably spying on me right now or sending a drone to come and kill me," Peter says, shutting the curtains and moving to his laptop.

"You had access to killer drones?" Jade asks, standing in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, I didn't really want them, especially after I almost killed Brad," Peter told her, walking over to the table and grabbing his phone.

"You almost killed Brad? What were in those glasses?" Jade asked, Peter standing in front of her.

"Look, I have to call Mr Fury and tell him that Beck's a fraud, but I think he tapped my phone," Peter told her, and she nodded.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Jade asked.

"I need my suit, and I have to go to Berlin and talk to Mr Fury in person," Peter says, grabbing his bag and taking his jacket off. He continues, taking his top off before realising Jade is stood staring at him. The two smile nervously, Jade's cheeks reddening.

"Uh, just," Jade said, turning around to give him some privacy. She waits, shuffling her feet until Peter taps her on the shoulder. Jade looks him up and down, Peter smiling slightly. "Not as good as the jumper and sweats," she told him, earning a small laugh.

"Look, I need you to call May, get her to call Mr Harrington, say that she wanted me to stay with family in Berlin until this all blows over, ok?" Peter asks.

"Yeah of course," she agreed, and Peter moves to the window.

"Gotta go," Peter tells her, opening the curtain and window.

"Wait, wait. The projector. You're gonna need this," Jade tells him, grabbing the projector and handing it to him. They pause as Peter's hand covers Jade's as he takes it from her, his hand lingering before moving back.

"I'll see you soon," he promises.

"Be careful, Spidey," she tells him, the two sharing a smile before Peter jumps out the window.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello everyone! 2020 has certainly become an insane year, and we're only in month three. My university has completely shut, and even though this is a real pain in the a***, this has given me a little time to get some writing done!

Please stay safe out there everyone, and remember not to panic. Life is crazy, but we will get through this as long as we're all sensible. If anyone has any worries about life right now and they don't know who to talk to, please PM and I will cheer you up with some wise Disney reference!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

Peter follows Fury into a large building in Berlin, entering a conference room and seeing Hill stood waiting for the two.

"So is there anything you want to tell us about your girlfriend?" Fury asks, standing at one end of the table next Hill as Peter stands at the opposite end, lifting his eye pieces up.

"He's talking about EDITH," Hill told Peter, who shook his head and held his hands out.

"Look I know I made a mistake and I'm sorry but he is not who you think he is. Beck is a liar. Mysterio, the elementals, it's all fake. He has some sort of illusion tech. that's how he tricked you guys, and me into giving him EDITH. It's a projector. I pulled it off the fire monster in Prague," Peter explained, holding the projector out and sliding it across the table.

"So all that death and destruction we witnessed was created by this?" Fury asks.

"No, not just this. I think he's using drones," Peter added.

"Well, if this is true, then Beck's very dangerous and we need to be smart. Who else did you tell about this?" Fury asks, but Peter falls silent, feeling something is wrong. "Parker? Parker!"

"What's wrong?" Hill asks, noticing Peter looking around the room.

"It's Beck. He's here," Peter says, flipping the eye pieces back down and standing defensively.

"What?" Fury asks, looking around as the room dissolves into an old building suite, Hill disappearing with the illusion. "Hill?"

"No, it's just an illu-" Peter says, before ducking back as a drone behind him fires at Fury. "Fury!" he crumples to the ground, and Peter turns to face the drone, but it shoots him in his chest, the force pushing him back and down several flights of stairs until he finally collapses to the floor, coughing as he stands unsteadily.

"Wow, Peter, wow. I thought we were close. Fury always had to die, but not you," Beck says, his voice echoing.

"Stop hiding, Beck!" Peter shouts, noticing the drones surrounding him and targeting him. He shoots a web at one, but it goes straight through it, becoming another illusion.

"I tried to help you walk away. Now you're making me do this," Beck said, the room turning into black and changing Peter's suit into his normal one. Peter stands wearily as a creepy school corridor is produced. "You told me you were just a kid. You told me, you wanted to run after that girl," Beck says, Peter punching him but grunting as it's concrete pillar.

"Help me!" Jade shouts.

"Jade!" Peter calls, pushing through a door and appearing at the top of Eiffel tower. "Oh, god."

"Peter, what's going on? Why did you leave me, unprotected? You promised you would protect me," Jade asks, still in her dress from the opera and their walk, glancing at him full of fear.

"I know this isn't real," Peter says, her words still cutting into him.

"Do you, though?" Beck asks, appearing and holding Jade by the throat, strangling her and holds her over the edge.

"Jade!" Peter shouts, his eyes widening as he runs to save her, their fingers brushing before Beck drops her and she screams. "Jade!" he shouts desperately, jumping after her. He groans as he lands on the floor, Jade's scream echoing as he holds his head.

"I don't think you know what's real, Peter," Beck tells him. The space changes, flickering through the streets of New York until Peter stops outside his apartment building. He gasps as Beck's large hand punches him back, breaking through glass and falling through webs until the illusion fades out and he's outside, crashing on top of a car in his night monkey suit. "You need to wake up!" Beck shouts, and he falls off the car, panting heavily as drones fly down, creating the illusion of glass mirror shards. "I mean, look at yourself."

Peter moves cautiously to a mirror, reaching out to touch his reflection before being attacked by the reflection, trying to fight off multiple versions of himself. "You are just a scared little kid in a sweat suit," Beck taunts, and Peter stands up to see him in his old outfit. He looks around, noticing how he's stood on a large crumbled statue of Captain America as a statue of Mysterio towers above.

"I created Mysterio to give the world someone to believe in. I control the truth. Mysterio is the truth," Beck continues, attacking Peter from behind, the two fighting until Peter shoots a web at him, pulling but sees that a crane is falling instead. They carry on fighting until a part of a statue falls on him, Peter cowering until he lifts his head up, seeing Tony's gravestone in front of him.

"If you were good enough, maybe Tony would still be alive," Beck says, more quietly as Peter hesitates in front of the grave. He jumps back as an iron fist breaks through the ground, and a decayed and broken iron man suit crawls towards the scared Peter, spiders like the one that bit him crawling from the face.

"Deep down, you know I'm right," Beck says, a legion of Mysterio's marching towards him as Peter runs away, getting knocked to the side and landing in snow. Peter panics as the New York skyline shoots from the ground, and he tries to break the glass as he realises he's trapped in a snow globe.

"You made your choice. And all you had to do was step aside. And now you have-" Beck cuts off, a gunshot breaking the illusion as the bullet hits him, Fury emerging as Peter stands up.

"Fury," Peter pants, grateful to see him.

"Beck's people are trying to find everyone who could expose him. Who'd you tell?" Fury asks, standing in front of Peter.

"Um," Peter mutters.

"I know you told someone so just tell me," Fury asks.

"Okay," Peter says, muttering.

"Who did you tell? Who else did you tell?" Fury asks, shouting.

"Just Jade. She might have told Ned though but that's it," Peter promises, looking up in surprise as Fury starts laughing. "What?"

"You are so gullible," Fury answers.

"What?" Peter asks.

"You're smart as a whip. Just a-" Fury trails off, disappearing as Beck removes the illusion, standing in front of him.

"Sucker. And now she has to die," Beck tells him.

"Oh my god," Peter gasps, illusions appearing around him as he stumbles backwards, avoiding falling lockers and shards of glass.

"It's easy to fool people when they're already fooling themselves. But for what it's worth Peter, I really am sorry," Beck said, sounding sincere as he stops walking towards him, stopping the illusion. Peter pauses, turning to look where he's standing just as a train hits him.

Peter grunts, panting and gasping in pain as his bloody hands cling to the side of the train, climbing up until he manages to open the train door. Thankfully no one is in the carriage, but he doesn't even care if there would have been as he collapses into a chair, coughing and holding his side in pain before passing out.

XXXXXX

Jade stares at the seat in front of her, not moving when someone moves to sit next to her. The train to London had allowed them a few minutes before to glance at Paris before they had to board, but even Jade hadn't cared.

"Hey," a voice whispers softly, making sure not to wake up everyone else. Jade glances and smiles tiredly at Ned, surprised when he takes her hand in his. "What is it?"

"I have a terrible feeling, Ned," she tells him, and he squeezes her hand as she leans her head back and closes her eyes, sighing deeply. "I just wish there was something I could do."

"I know," Ned agrees, glancing round before looking back to her. "Being the guy in the chair is nothing compared to being the girlfriend," he says, and Jade's eyes widen.

"I don't know-"

"Oh come on, Jade. You and Peter are my two best friends. Even a stranger can see there's something between you two," Ned says. Jade shakes her head, looking down. Despite this, she can't help but smile. This was never a conversation she thought she would ever have with Ned.

"None of that matters right now. All I care about is that he's safe," Jade says, and Ned nods, squeezing her hand once more.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi everyone! Hope everyone is safe and well! Thank you so much to LarissaValentiMeedachi2613 for the wonderful review, this is for you!

Thanks and enjoy,

Phantomshadow99

XXXXXX

Peter jolts awake, his head falling off of something as he blinks his eyes, trying to see where he is. He looks to his side, his eyes widening as he sees two guys.

"Hi," the one in the hat says, smiling.

"Where am I?" Peter asks.

"Municipal holding facility," the man next to him with no top on answers.

"They said they found you unconscious at the train yard. Very dangerous," top guy explained.

"And we gave you the shirt because you seemed a bit cold," another man says, making Peter jump as he realises he was what he was resting his head against.

"Thanks. You guys are nice. You speak really good English," Peter complimented.

"Welcome to the Netherlands," all three told him, and Peter paused, letting the words sink in.

"I'm in the Netherlands right now?" Peter asks.

"Yep," topless guy answers.

"Bye. Ahh. Guard!" Peter says, hobbling to the cell door.

"The guard is on a break. Probably talking to his wife," top guy told him.

"Yeah, she's pregnant," topless guy added.

"Oh yeah?" head rest man asked, and topless guy nodded, and the three began chattering in Dutch. Peter feels for the padlock, breaking it and moving the lock to the side, hurrying out. He pauses as he notices the guard speaking on the phone wearing his mask. Peter hobbles into a small market square, pulling the shirt over his black one and limps towards a man texting.

"Excuse me, sir? Could I borrow your phone?" Peter asks, and the man nods, holding his phone out. "Everyone is so nice here. Uh. Okay," Peter types a familiar number in, lifting it to his ear. "Pick up, pick up. Hey, hey, uh. I messed up. I need a- I need a ride. Where am I? Where am I sir?" Peter asks the man.

"Its Broek Op Langedijk," the man answers, and Peter pauses, not knowing how to say that.

"Hang on. Could you say that into there?" Peter asks the man, lifting the phone to him.

"Hi. Its Broek Op Langedijk here. Yeah, no problem," the man says, smiling as Peter smiles gratefully at him, moving the phone back to his ear.

"Thanks. Did you get that?" Peter asks, sighing in relief as he arranges to meet them in a nearby tulip field.

Peter limps through the field, glancing up to see a jet flying overhead, before landing in front of him. Peter looks as Happy emerges from the jet.

"Peter? Are you okay?" Happy asks, walking towards the boy.

"Happy is that you?" Peter asks, not trusting himself.

"Yeah, of course it's me," Happy answers, confused.

"Stop!" Peter shouts, Happy pausing as Peter stops as well. "Tell me something only you would know."

"Only I would know. Uh. Remember when we went to Germany? You pay-per-viewed a video in your room? They didn't list the titles, but I could tell by the price it was an adult film at the front desk. And you didn't know how I knew-"

"Okay, fine! It's you. Stop," Peter interrupts, the two walking towards one another before Peter hugs Happy, startling the man. "It's so good to see you," Peter mutters.

"Peter you're gonna have to tell me what the hell is going on here," Happy says, patting Peter awkwardly on the back.

After Peter explains, Happy helps him onto the jet, getting the first aid kit out and stitching the wounds on Peter's back.

"Okay, hold still. There we go," Happy mutters.

"Ouch," Peter tenses, closing his eyes.

"I thought you had super strength," Happy comments.

"It still hurts. Happy, come on," Peter squirms.

"All right, relax. God, I wonder if you move this much when Jade is looking after you," Happy mutters to him.

"Well she's always gentle," Peter said, his mind flicking back to the illusion of her falling. "Oh my god, Happy!" Peter shouts, jumping.

"Relax," Happy tells him, moving back as Peter stands up abruptly and turns to him.

"Don't tell me to relax, Happy! How can I relax when I messed up so bad? I trusted Beck. Right? I thought he was my friend, so I gave him the only thing Mr Stark left behind for me, and now he's gonna kill Jade, my friends and half of Europe, so please do not tell me to relax," Peter shouts, sitting down in a chair and holding his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Happy. I'm sorry. I shouldn't shout. I just really miss him," Peter apologises, his eyes becoming red with unshed tears.

"Yeah, I miss him too," Happy says quietly.

"Everywhere I go, I see his face. And the whole world is asking who's gonna be the next Iron Man and… and I don't know if that me, Happy. I'm not Iron Man," Peter says, his voice breaking.

"You're not Iron Man. You're never gonna be Iron Man. Nobody could live up to Tony. Not even Tony. Tony was my best friend. And he was a mess. He second-guessed everything he did. He was all over the place. The one thing that he did that he didn't second-guess was picking you. I don't think Tony would have done what he did if he didn't know that you were gonna be here after he was gone. Now, your friends are in trouble, you're all alone, your tech is missing. What are you gonna do about it?" Happy asks, his voice soft. Peter blinks, standing up and wiping his eyes.

"I'm gonna kick his ass," Peter answers.

"I mean, right now. Specifically, what are we gonna do? Because we've been hovering over a tulip field for the last 15 minutes," Happy says.

"Right. I can't call my friends because he's tracking their phones. Give me your phone," Peter says, a thought coming to him.

"My cell phone?" Happy asks, reaching into his pocket.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Here," Happy says, taking it out and handing it to him.

"What's your password?" Peter asks.

"Password," Happy answers.

"No what is your password?" Peter repeats.

"Password, the word spelled out, password," Happy answers.

"You're the head of security and your password is password?" Peter asks, and Happy nods his head.

"I don't feel good about it either," Happy tells him. Peter gets Instagram up, searching for Flash's name.

"Hello, governor. Cup of tea? I'm gonna be in London soon," Flash says to the camera.

"They're in London," Peter says, showing Happy the phone.

"London, okay," Happy says, standing up and moving to the cockpit.

"Yeah, I need a suit," Peter pointed out.

"Suit?" Happy asks, smiling before pressing a button. A secret compartment opens, filled with technology. Peter smiles, throwing Happy's phone on a chair as he moves to the compartment, signing in with his hand before standing back.

"Okay, um, bring up everything you have on Spiderman," Peter instructs, and the computer follows his request. He starts scrolling through the holograms. "Yeah, open that. Okay, no, no, no," Peter mutters to himself, before expanding something and placing his arm through it, looking up to see Happy watching him with a small smile. "What?"

"Nothing. You take care of the suit. I'll take care of the music," Happy says, pressing a button and playing AC/DC.

"Aww, I love Led Zeppelin!" Peter shouts, and Happy shakes his head. "Okay, can you pull up my web shooters? Isolate the taser webs, and reconfigure and boost the voltage to a factor of 25%, and give me complete manual control over detonation," Peter says, looking at the spider symbol.

XXXXXX

"Okay guys, the company set up a city tour, and then well grab a bite and head to the airport," Mr Harrington says as everyone wearily walks out of the train station.

"Is no one else gonna acknowledge how crazy this is?" Brad asks, stopping the group near the entrance.

"Oh yeah, I get it. There's been nothing scientific about this science tour at all," Mr Dell says, looking pointedly at Mr Harrington.

"No, no, I'm talking about Peter. Has no one else here noticed how shady he is? I saw him in the back room of a rest stop with some woman in his underwear, and he's always sneaking away, like back at the opera, huh? And now he's suddenly off the trip, with his family in Berlin? Is no one else here interested in the truth?" Brad asks, and Jade and Ned share a glance.

"'The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world'," MJ says, and everyone turns to look at her.

"George Orwell. Thank you, MJ," Brad thanks, glancing at Jade who smiles, knowing what to say.

"Well, since Peter's not really here to tell his truth, what about you Brad? Why do you think it's cool to take pictures of people in the bathroom?" she asks, and Brad looks at her in shock as Ned hides his laugh.

"Yeah, dude, what's that about?" Flash asks, videoing the exchange. Jade smiles in his direction.

"No, no, it wasn't like that. It was- I was trying to take a-" Brad stutters.

"Let's just put all this craziness behind us and have a nice, peaceful afternoon. 'Sounds great, Mr Harrington', said the class. Okay. Look at this guys," Mr Harrington points out, leading the group outside to a man standing next to a bus with a driver holding out a sign that said their school on it.

"Mr Harrington, this is your bus," the driver said, smiling at the students.

"We got a bus all to ourselves. All right," Mr Harrington says enthusiastically. Jade had to hand it to him, even if the world ended, he'd still try to be happy. They sit upstairs, everyone taking pictures until the bus stops in traffic on Tower Bridge. Jade and Ned stand up, looking out.

"I don't like this. Somethings definitely up," Jade whispers.

"You have to remember, just stay calm," Ned tells her, and she nods. The two jump when they hear a large rumble of thunder, and see a weird lighting cloud heading towards them.

"That doesn't look good," Jade says.

"But its fake, so there's nothing to worry about," Ned assures her.


End file.
